As I mentioned in a comment to JimL in a previous post, politics is whipping my ass so I'm changing the theme of this blog to 24/7 Lord of the Rings discussion (bonus points for posting in Elvish).
As many readers know, I'm a big fan of satellite radio. The range of music offered is amazing, especially to those of you that tune in to the Mansion of Fun featuring David Johannsen. The other day I was heading out to get a sandwich for lunch and landed upon "The Vault" on Sirius. This station specializes in "deep cuts" from classic rock era artists. As I was meandering down the road, Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick came on. I know the song well, going back to my youth listening to KZPS. However, this was Thick as a Brick (parts 1 & 2). I left the song and went inside to get my sandwich. I emerged roughly a half hour later to find the SAME SONG still playing. Upon running across the same tune tonight, I felt obliged to indulge you with a comment or two upon that most self-indulgent musical relic from the seventies - art rock/theme albums.
I confess I was once held in the sway of this musical genre, most notably by art-rock placard-carrier Rush. Other mainstays like Yes, ELP, and Pink Floyd were proponents of this style. It strikes me now how incredibly dated and banal this entire bunch of music seems. While the riffs of Rush's 2112 still kick, the blatant ripoff of Ayn Rand and various biblical themes serve to underscore the pseudo-intellectual vacuity of these bands. I can't see myself as an adult jamming down to the tale of By-Tor and the Snowdog regardless of how live Neil Peart's drumming might be. I'd much rather hear everyday truths about relationships and sex artfully conveyed by, say, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, or, for that matter, Humble Pie, than listen to retreaded classical tales interpreted by the doltish gang above or someone even more ham-fisted like Thin Lizzy.
But this music is, to my mind, the soundtrack to Lord of the Rings and its ilk. Which makes me wonder if we shouldn't be expecting a comeback. What could accompany an evening of male-only video gaming and pot smoking than a few hours of Geddy Lee singing about Cygnus X-1? It seems that the true benefactor/scion of art rock has been the jam band. They share the self-indulgence, but seem to differ in the importance of the spaceman ethos. So, I predict the advent of the spaceman/medieval knight jam-band. It's a hell of an opportunity for you musicians out there.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Now that's pretty funny
I may have agreed had I not read the liner notes to the album "Jailbreak" or the song "The Emerald". I encourage you to check those out and report back. "Cowboy Song" still really rocks, though.
Back to Rush, their music that wasn't pretentious dragon-loving muck has actually held up OK over time. Yesterday I heard "Limelight", a pretty straightforward commentary on the effects of fame, and it was an enjoyable listen. Ditto for "Spirit of the Radio."
Distant early warning is about the only song of Rush's I ever liked. His voice sounds like he is trying to do Robert Plant, except that someone is holding his imaginary balls in a vice grip.
I think Geddy Lee's voice is anti-evocative. It doesn't evoke the emotion of the lyrics, it evokes thoughts of dorks playing D&D. This statement presupposes Rush songs have emotion...an allegorical treatment of class struggle starring Trees? Puh-lease.
Toby is not drawing a distinction between art rock and glam rock. Glam rock clearly has no high pretensions, in fact quite the opposite. Give me Bowie or Mott the Hoople any day over Yes and ELP and RUSH. Throw in Roxy Music.
Dancing in the streets is an abomination. When MODERN LOVE, or LET'S DANCE, REBEL REBEL, YOUNG AMERICANS are played, I listen and sing along. Pretty big fan. Mott The Hoople, I love a lot of their songs, but MAN IAN HUNTER IS WEIRD
Ian Hunter's cover of Alejandro Escovedo's "One more time" from the benefit album is great. As for glam rock, let's give credit where credit is due...the New York Dolls. In fact, I'm going to jam a little "Personality Crisis" right now.
Post a Comment